Get In On The Action At Gameworks

May 25, 1999|By Lou Carlozo, Tribune Staff Writer.

When GameWorks in Schaumburg opens June 3, don't blow it off as another arcade. KidNews took a sneak peek recently, and here's what we saw: First, GameWorks is huge. It's spread over two stories, with separate sections for three kinds of games: sports, arcade and racing. GameWorks also features the latest motion-simulation games, in which players can jet ski or ride a mountain bike.

One of the creators of GameWorks is director Steven Spielberg. At the center of GameWorks is a towering amusement he designed: Vertical Reality. In Vertical Reality, four players are strapped into seats and hoisted 25 feet into the air by an elevator (only it's not enclosed). The object is to shoot at bad guys who are hiding in a "building" opposite the players.

GameWorks also has an Indy 500 video-racing pit, a restaurant area, private party rooms and a stage area for live entertainment. GameWorks can hold 1,350 people, so there's plenty of room to play.

Speaking of playing, I enjoyed the Daytona USA2 and Blitz '99 racing games. I would've liked Blitz '99 more if I had beaten outgoing Scoop Trooper Jay B., 13, of Chicago. In his last KidNews gig, his Jacksonville Jaguars creamed my Philadelphia Eagles, 12-zip.

"And that was just after the first quarter," Jay bragged.

Way to rub it in, pal.

Here's what Jay thought of GameWorks:

GameWorks was really cool. They had a lot of old games, like Pac-Man. But the thing that impressed me was the new ones, like Blitz '99, where four players can play, instead of the '98 version for two players. They also had the new "Star Wars Trilogy" game.

Daytona USA2 was very interactive, but sometimes it was hard to control the steering wheel. Indy 500 is also very interactive. You get to race against eight players (bring your friends!) instead of the lame computer, which you pretty much know you can beat.

There is one game I like a lot, Vertical Reality. Here's the best part: When you get "killed" by the computer, you just free-fall to the bottom, where you start up again at the first level.

Don't let me ruin all the fun. Go and see GameWorks for yourself.

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GameWorks in Schaumburg is a few blocks south of Woodfield Mall. (There are other GameWorks locations across the country.) The phone number will be 847-330-9675. There will be no cover charge; games are activated with rechargeable play cards you buy at the start. You must be with an adult after 6 p.m., because there will be a bar that serves alcohol. Around 10 p.m. GameWorks will usually go 21-and-over.